Nauru

Information about the Nauru

The Republic of Nauru (pronounced nah-OO-roo), formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island republic in the South Pacific Ocean. It is one of the world's smallest independent countries both in terms of population and land area and the smallest independent republic in both terms. It is also the smallest non-European country (in terms of land area).

Much of its past prosperity derived from the large amount of phosphate deposits on the island, believed to be either of guano or of marine origin. Superphosphate is used as a fertilizer around the world in aerial topdressing and the majority of it has been exported to Australia. With the exhaustion of the phosphate supplies, Nauru faces an uncertain future. In the 1990s, it tried to gain new sources of income by introducing itself as a tax haven, but this story came to an end in July 2004.

Nauru currently houses a detention centre, which holds and processes asylum seekers as part of Australia's Pacific Solution.

History

Nauru was first settled by Polynesian and Melanesian settlers. The first European to arrive was Captain John Fearn in 1798, but Nauru continued as an independent island society, reigned by a king (the most widely known being King Auweyida), until it was annexed by Germany in 1888 to German New Guinea. Mining of its extensive phosphate reserves began early in the 20th century.

Following World War I, Nauru became a League of Nations Mandate territory in 1920, administered by Australia. In 1947, a trusteeship was approved by the United Nations. Nauru achieved independence in 1968. The founding president was Hammer DeRoburt. Nauru is a special member of the Commonwealth and joined the United Nations as a member state in 1999.

In 2001, a ship carrying refugees from various countries (including Afghanistan) and seeking to dock in Australia was diverted to Nauru as part of the Pacific Solution. The refugees were housed in a detention center in Nauru. As of 2005, all women and children have been granted asylum in Australia. Only 32 men remain.

Demographics

The official language is Nauruan. English is widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes. The main religion is Christianity (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic). There is also a sizeable Baha'i community.

Culture

The island's traditional culture is all but vanished: Nauru is considered to be one of the most Westernized of the Pacific islands.

The national sport is Australian Rules Football. Nauru has also had international success in weightlifting. Marcus Stephen has been the most successful lifter to date, winning several Commonwealth Games medals. He was elected to Parliament in 2003. There is a stadium under construction in the district of Meneng.

The above includes excerpts from Wikipedia.org, the free encyclopedia: